It's a very simple premise. By having a Conservative Republican President in charge the past 7 years, the average middle class American is about $70,000 poorer than he or she would have been if progressive Democrats had been running the country during that time. Stated more bluntly, if you vote Republican you are voting to make yourself several thousand dollars poorer per year.
Economic Republicanism/Conservatism is class warfare designed to redistribute wealth from 99% of you to 1% of them. And it has worked exactly as planned under Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush, and Bush. It worked exactly as planned under Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover as well.
I am not going to pretend that I understand every nut and bolt of economics the way the likes of Bonddad and Paul Krugman do but I will say that I understand the economy from a common sense point of view. The 80% of Americans who realize this country is on the wrong track all because of right wingers and conservatives under in their gut that something is very wrong. And it can be explained to them in simple common sense terms.
Under Bush and Republicans it goes like this.
- Higher Gas Prices - The average American is paying about $1,500 a year more at the pump. Progressives could stop this in many ways but can't right now because Bush is in power. I'd love to see that $1,500 a year put back in the pockets of the American people.
- Higher Food Prices - This is a residual effect of gas prices but it is also rooted in the trade, labor, and environmental policies of the conservatives. All of these problems could be fixed with progressive legislation but just look at your grocery bills. You are paying about $30 a week more than you should. That's approximately $1500 a year.
- Higher Energy Prices - Look at your home heating, electric and gas bills? Because of Republicans you are paying more
- The wrong war in Iraq costs the average household $1200 a year.
- College Costs- When Republicans cut funding for colleges, gut scholarships, and increase student loan rates, it costs people money, thousands of dollars of it.
- Credit Card Ripoffs - This could simply be fixed with legislation preventing usury but under this balderdash concept called preemption, we have credit card companies ripping consumers off and the consumers have no de facto rights. This costs people money too.
- Higher Local Taxes - This is classic republicanism. They cut spending at the federal level for basic services which by necessity force local and state taxes to rise.
- The National Debt Tax Increase - This is a biggie. Ronald Reagan cost this country about 5 trillion dollars. George W Bush has added another 4 trillion over eight years or half a trillion dollars a year. That's over $1600 a year in the hidden debt tax that Republicans have cost you.
- Lost Revenues - This too is a simple premise. I would like to ensure that estates over 5 million pay that estate tax. I want all offshort tax giveaways abolished. I want most corporate welfare eliminated. If you add up all this socialism for the rich, you are talking at least 600 billion a year. If that extra 600 billion was in the public tax coffers, we could write a check to every American for $2000.
- Health Care Costs - This is a republican doozy. Because of conservatives, the average American family is paying about $3000 a year more in health care premiums than it did 8 years ago. These savings could be restored to the American people tomorrow with regulation preventing these HMO and insurance company abuses and by simply eliminating the paperwork/HMO bureaucrats from health care altogether.
There are many other hidden fees and hidden costs to conservatism. It could be your cable bill, telephone fees enacted behind your back, security fees enacted behind your back, and just plain quality of life in your neighborhood and community. Granted, each area of conservative suffering does not apply to everyone. (EX: subway riders and bus riders have those extra costs.) But when you do the math, conservatives have made the average American family at least $10,000 a year poorer. I could use that money. So could most of you. Unfortunately, it's been stolen from us by the policies of class warfare conservatism. I'd like that money back.